A Dog's Best Friend
by Ink Mage
Summary: A tribute for the 23rd anniversary of Jim Henson's death


_A.N. Hey readers. So, last year I was struggling with some traumatic events, including the suicide of a friend at the same time that I was contemplating suicide. In order to cope, I fixated on another similar event—which, thanks to Kevin Clash, turned out to be the death of Jim Henson. I am doing better now, but I ended up writing several fanfictions as a show of my grief. I felt that publishing them today was the right thing to do, in thanks to an extraordinary man._

_To Jim Henson—_

_Thank you for showing us the rainbow connection._

_Sincerely,_

_The lovers, the dreamers and me_

It is said that a dog is man's best friend. Rowlf didn't have an answer for that. What he did know was that a man was a DOG'S best friend. For example, Rowlf was utterly devoted to his creator, master and voice—Jim Henson.

Rowlf and Jim, Jim and Rowlf. In Rowlf's mind, they had always been a pair. Even though it had been Don Sahlin who had created Rowlf's body, in Rowlf's mind it was Jim who had given him life. He had given him a voice and a song and a soul—everything that is important in the world. And Rowlf had rewarded him with undying loyalty. They were a part of each other, from the first Purina dog food commercial. At first, Rowlf had been jealous of the other Muppets—Kermit especially, since he had quickly become one of Jim's most popular friends. Rowlf had always harboured a quiet fear that Kermit would take Jim away from him. But as the years passed, Rowlf found that the bonds between him and Jim were never weakened. Sure, the bonds changed—there were more Muppets, and more Muppetiers—but they were all connected, and all of the connections lead back to one person—Jim.

And time passed, and the Muppet family grew. Rowlf was proud to be selected as one of the spokespeople for the opening of Sesame Street to a slightly dubious Kermit. He had never had much to do with Sesame Street afterwards, but he had been proud to be part of its creation. He had found his niche elsewhere—in the strange world of the Muppet Theatre. He had played the piano there in so many sketches—solos, duets, and even joining the band. Being in the Muppet Theatre was as close to Rowlf had ever come to having a family. Everyone was accepted there for who they were. No one cared when Gonzo's stunts failed, or Rowlf played out of tune, or the chaos back stage got out of hand. It all…worked, somehow. And every day, Rowlf thanked Jim for bringing him to this wonderful place—a place where he could be the piano-playing dog that he was supposed to be.

And then the Muppet Theatre closed down. On some level, Rowlf was sad—it felt like an era had passed. But now a new era was beginning, as the Muppets moved into the world of cinema. Rowlf had been part of an earlier movie while the Muppet Theatre was still in operation. He had enjoyed being part of the Muppet Movie (especially the chaos while Frank Oz and Jim were puzzling over how Kermit and Rowlf could sing a duet together). But now the Muppets were filming more and more movies, and Rowlf was in every one. He never took a main role—he would leave those for Kermit. Rowlf preferred to watch from the sidelines, resting beside Jim as the stories unfolded. Except… well, to Rowlf, Jim was starting to look older, and sadder, and sicker. His friend was constantly pushing himself, always coming up with a new design or finding a voice for a new character. But Rowlf watched and wondered if maybe Jim should take a break; go home to his family. But Rowlf remained silent. After all, this was Jim—what was the worst that could happen?

And then Jim Henson died.

It is said that a dog is man's best friend. Rowlf didn't have an answer for that. What he did know was that a man was a DOG'S best friend. Jim had been everything good in Rowlf—his voice, his songs, his heart. As the Muppets gathered together to sing 'Just One Person' at Jim's memorial, the words caught in Rowlf's throat. His eyes turned lifeless, and his hands fell away from the piano for the last time. From that moment on, Rowlf the Dog never said a word.

"**My hope still is to leave the world a bit better than when I got here."—Jim Henson**


End file.
